A human being formed from the dust of the earth became the living soul only after God breathed in his face the Πνοην Ζωης – Breath of Life {Genesis 2:7} that is the immortal spirit of man who was created in image of God and likeness {Genesis 1:1–2, 26–27;John 1:1–13; 3:3–7; 4:24; 6:63;14; 17;1 John 1:1–5; 4:13; 5:4–8; 1Corinthians 6:19–20;Psalm103(104)30; Ecclesiastes 12:7;Wisdom 2:23}. A human being created by God lives by the Divine energy and the Divine power –– the life–giving Πνευμα – the Spirit of God {Psalm103(104)30}.

Although all creations of God are the derivative–creations of the Divine energy, only a human being may receive the Holy Spirit.

The original man – Adam – created from the dust of the earth became the living soul by receiving the Breath of God, and the original nature of man is defined as the image and likeness of God Who is the Almighty Spirit, Who is referred to by the Word–God and perceived by Moses, by the prophets, and by the Apostles as the Fire – the Holy Consuming Fire, and as the life–giving Spirit teaching the Truth and bestowing wisdom{Genesis 1:26–28; 2:7; Luke 12:49; 9:54–56;John 14:6–26; 15; 16:7–16; 17;Deuteronomy 4:24;4 Kings 1:10, 12; Psalm 10(104):4, 30; Hebrews 12:28–29}.

The mind lives by knowledge: it perceives–accumulates–consumes–creates–disseminates–shares (or hides) knowledge.

Knowledge is the substance of the mind, the meaning of life, the food and the results–fruits of the mind’s existence: knowledge defines the nature of man.

What is knowledge?

The one could infer the most complete definition of knowledge

– in the times of The Old Testament – from the Book of Job {Job 32:8;33:4}

– in the times of the New Testament – from the Gospel According to John and Epistle of St. Peter the Apostle {John 17:3;2 Peter 1:2–11}.

Presumably, the Book of Job was written more than 4000 years ago, in the twenty–first or twentieth century BC, about the time of Abraham, at least seven centuries before revelation of the Law given through Moses.

So, what people of the remote Past knew about the nature of man and the nature of knowledge?

The young man – Elius the son of Barachiel, one of those who came to comfort Job during his trial, said remarkable words: it is not time that speaks, although men imagine presence of wisdom in many years; there is a spirit in the mortal one, and the breath of the Almighty teaches him. And again: the Spirit of God is that Who formed me, the breath of the Almighty is that teaches me {Job 32:8;33:4}. All this with understanding that man is formed out of clay {Job 33:6} – γη, the temporarily structured matter, as Isaiah the prophet also wrote thirteen centuries later, in eighths century BC {Isaiah 45:9; 64:8}.

Hence, 4000 years ago, Elius knew the nature of man and the nature of knowledge: both are creations of God the Almighty Whose Spirit formed man and teaches him. The Spirit of God creates and sustains both facets of life –

1/ life of the reasoning, intelligence, intellect, understanding – all that is called the mind

[[and all that is created→empowered←taught by πνοη δε Παντοκρατορος – breath of the Almighty God]]

and

2/ life of a human body that carries the spirit given by God the Spirit

[[formed by Πνευμα Θειον – the Spirit of God

and living by πνοη δε Παντοκρατορος: the Divine Energy – breath of the Almighty God]]

within the world of the material things

In the times of Job, the wise ones knew that the Spirit of God is that Who formed man, the breath of the Almighty is that teaches man. Job accomplished the purpose set before the Old Testament’s man: he understood that the highest wisdom is in adherence to God and observance of His commandments, which all are about the good–life that is not compatible with the evil–death. Consequently, Job inferred that abstaining from the evil is the essence of human comprehension. Furthermore, Job’s behavior was consistent with his understanding and with verbal expression of his beliefs. God rewarded him for the steadfast faith, adherence to God, and keeping sanity during the worst time of his trials. It is written that Job will rise again with those whom the Lord raises up {Job 42:7–17}.

After Job and Moses, generations of men formed by the Spirit of God and lived by the breath of God –– knowledge of the unlimited mercy and perfect love of God –– passed through the face of earth leaving to their offspring the precious legacy:

– understanding that to be firmly established in God is the entire righteousness and to contemplate His power is the root of immortality {Wisdom 15:3}

– the purpose: to be prepared for the meeting with the Messiah.

This purpose was accomplished when the chosen ones accepted revelation of the Word–God Who gave human beings

– the knowledge that is the everlasting life

– the authority and courage to know that they are the sons of the Light – the ones who live by the Spirit of God Who they are empowered to call Father and that their destiny is to form the elect race of the people of God: the sons–servants–slaves–priests of the Almighty God {John 10:1–18, 25–30; 14; 15; 16; 17;1 Peter 2:9–10;1 John;Ephesians, Colossians;Galatians;1 Thessalonians 5:4–11; Revelation 22:1–5}.

The destiny of the people of the New Testament is easier that the destiny of the people of the Old Testament: God made the straightway for the Christians leading them to His kingdom – their city of habitation, the House of God {Psalm106(107):7;Isaiah 42:16; John 10:1–18;14:1–3; 17:24–26}. For them, God turned darkness into the light, because the Light of God came revealing the mercy and grace of God and we, the Christians, have met and recognized our Savior and Redeemer – Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Word of the Almighty God the Father.

Now the purpose of a Christian is to live according to His words–commandments, so his mind would obtain the highest wisdom that those who live on the earth may be empowered to obtain: to accept the Love of God and the live–giving Truth – the Son of God, the Word–God, to evolve into the likeness of the Word–God by observing His commandments, to become the carrier of the Holy Spirit – the temple of the Living God, the firstfruit of new creations whom God created for the eternity in His kingdom {Matthew 5; 6; 7; 22:36–40; 25:31–46;Mark 4; 12:28–34;Luke 6:17–49;John;James 1:16–18;1 Peter 1; 2 Peter 1:2–11;1 John;Colossians; Ephesians;Revelation 22:1–5}.

Hence, the Christians perceive Lord Jesus Christ as the completeness of perfection: the Holy Wisdom, the Perfect Love of God the Father, and the Omnipotent Authority. By the grace – mercy and love – of God, they are sanctified by Truth: by the Word–God Who empowers them to live by the Holy Spirit and to be taught by God {John 1:1–18; 14;15; 16; 17}. As St. Peter the Apostle explains {2 Peter 1:2–11}, through the complete knowledge of God, a human being receives everything needed for life, godliness, and evolution–preparation for the eternity {in: John 17}: through the knowledge of God, the mind obtains the energy of life and the power to evolve for the eternity.

In summary,

–– the mind lives by the Divine energy of the Almighty God – πνοη δε Παντοκρατορος – referred to as breath of life {Genesis 2:7;Job 33:4}

–– the Divine origin defines and sustains the uniqueness, individuality, and dignity of man created in image of God and likeness to dominate, toil, cherish the world given by God to His creation {Genesis 1:26–28;2}

–– life of mind is creation of thoughts–knowledge; the knowledge of life is embodiment of the eternal Divine life–giving and life–sustaining energy issuing from God

–– creation of thoughts is embodiment of the Divine energy coming from God into knowledge by which the mind lives: accomplishes the purposes of own existence at the Earth and evolves for the next phase of existence – the eternity with God

–– knowledge is the Divine energy embodied into thoughts of man

–– knowledge is substance and essence of the mind and power to act according to the thoughts–plans–devices created by the mind

–– process of creation is the process of embodiment of knowledge [[created from the Divine energy received from God]] into all that is the meaning of human life and material things, with which human being sustains own existence.

–– the purpose of life at the earth is development → evolution/preparation for the next phase of existence: the eternity with God; the one accomplishes this purpose because he receives the Divine energy of God by which he thinks and lives.

Hence, the natural ability/capacity to carry the Spirit of God is re–created by the Son of God – the Word–God because of Whom the Holy Spirit comes –– to His followers directly and explicitly {Matthew 18:20;Mark 16:15–20;John 14; 15; 16; 17;Acts 1:1–10; 2:1–4} and potentially, to all {John 10:1–18, 27–30} who would come to faith in Him, believe in Him and love Him by observing His commandments: the Divine nature distinguishes a human being from all creations of water and earth and elevates him at the level of a being incompatible with all of them.

Consequently, any reference to man as an “animal” of any kind – by flesh, social, political, etc., or as to a property of another man, society, community, or any human establishment is blasphemy and abomination to God, assassination of a human spirit, and an attempt to deprive God of His Own possession:

– it is an attempt either to exclude God from the created by Him world or downgrade God at the level of the matter

– it is annihilation of the image of God within the being created in the image of God and destined to carry the image of God and to live by the breath – Spirit – of God

– it is deprivation of spiritual life because only the breath of life breathed by God makes a human being the living soul

– it casts man down at the level of the animated matter – living creatures produced from the matter [[water, earth]], which human being was created to dominate.

Hence, the human mind is the perfect creation, the co–worker, field, and building of God, the system–creating reality serving the purposes of God only when it is focused on God the Creator, and so, is tuned to the divine energy of creation and is acting/working with the wisdom–power given by the Holy Spirit.

After redemptionΣ2 of the world accomplished by Lord Jesus Christ, a human being might evolve into an immortal child of God born of God, because of the authority given by the Word–God. This authority is the ability to be baptized by the Divine Fire – by the Holy Spirit: to be born of God, and to become a firstfruit of new creations of God, the likeness of the Word–God created in Christ and by Christ {Deuteronomy 4:24; Psalm 103(104)30; 106(107);Matthew 3:7–12;5:14–16;Luke 12:49;John 1:1–13;3:3–8;14; 15; 17;James 1:17–25;1 John 3:1–3;Hebrew 12:28–29;Ephesians 2:4–10}:

Then, the essence of the mind is the Divine energy of God: the mind lives by the Divine energy of God, and the essence of knowledge, which is the life of mind [[the true knowledge that the mind perceives, accumulates, creates, disseminates as truth derived of the knowledge of the Word–God]], is also the derivative of the Divine energy – the gift and the blessing of God Who sends the Holy Spirit to make alive, to instruct, guide, lead, and to teach His people as He has done it to the Hebrew ProphetsΣ3 and His other servants {Matthew 10:1–38;Mark 6:7–15;Luke 10:1–24; 11:9–13;John 14; 15; 16:7–15; 17; 1 Peter 1:10–12; 2 Peter 1:19–21; 1 John 4:13; Romans 8; Nehemiah 9:20; Isaiah 42:16; 43:2–4; 63:11–14}.

St. Gregory Palamas’ Concept of Divine Energies

St. Gregory Palamas (1296–1359) explained the divine nature of the mind created in image of God and likeness and living by the Word–God and the Holy Spirit in his concept of the divine energies, which he inferred from the Gospels and Epistles of the Apostles.

In particular, St. Gregory Palamas, following the Holy Scriptures {Matthew 20:1–16;Mark 16:15–18;Luke 6:19;12:42–49;24:49;John;Acts 17:24–28;1 John 4:13;Romans 8;1 Corinthians 2:12–14; 12}, writes that the divine energy “bestows substance” and life: God dwells in His creations “in different and varied ways” interrelated with their “worthiness and way of life” [St. Gregory Palamas (1983) §28 83; (1988) §87, §91, §93, §95 187, 189–193, 195–197]. This statement re–iterates explanation given by St. Paul the Apostle {1 Corinthians 2:12–14; 12}, and prompts a question concerning the meaning of co–relation between “worthiness and way of life” of human beings and “different and varied ways” by which God dwells in His creations.

St. Gregory Palamas considers dwelling of the Holy Spirit of God within the soul as deification: through Lord God Jesus Christ, created being–man becomes the “uncreated child of God” and partaker of the eternal glory, or, according to St. Gregory of Nyssa, “man transcends his nature: the mortal becomes immortal, temporary becomes eternal” [St. Gregory Palamas (1974) §11–§12 121–122; St. Gregory of Nyssa qtd. in: St. Gregory Palamas (1974) §12 122]. Transformation into the “uncreated child of God” is possible only by the will of God and through His divine grace {John 1:1–18; Ephesians 2:4–10} revealed by Lord Jesus Christ Who makes possible dwelling of the Holy Spirit of God within the soul of man {John 14:15–17, 23, 26; 15:26; 16:7–15; 17}.

St. Gregory Palamas considers the act of creation accomplished by man as the only moment, when a human being realizes own essence and discovers the image of God within own soul/mind. This interpretation is consistent with the definitions of St. Paul the Apostle who refers to the one whose reasoning just/strictly follows the reasoning of Christ {1 Corinthians 2:15–16} and to the one who becomes a co–worker of God, the God’s field and construction/building {1 Corinthians 3:9} – the space prepared for the works of God. In this context, man’s act of creation should be interpreted as

an acceptance–assimilation of the Divine energy of God

↓

transformation of the Divine energy into (or creation from the Divine energy)

the one’s own thoughts–knowledge

↓

embodiment of the created knowledge into words and deeds,

through which the Divine energy of God becomes the essence of material things and establishments

that men arrange to secure own survival and development

and to sustain the abundant and plentiful and healthy world given by God into their dominion

Four Christian theologians inferred from the Holy Scriptures and summarized the concept of man in relation to God: St. Maximus the Confessor, St. Gregory of Nyssa, St. Basil the Great, and St. Gregory Palamas; the essence of this concept:

a/ if the mind–essence of manΣ4 is united with the grace of Lord God Jesus Christ {in: John 1:1–18; 17; Ephesians 2:4–10}, the incomprehensible grace of God illuminates, re–creates, and elevates the mind above the natural laws of the temporal world – earth

b/ everything that is moved by the Holy Spirit becomes alive, eternal, and sacred: through Lord God Jesus Christ, man – who before was dust and ashes – receives the anointment of the Holy Spirit to become “the child of Light” destined for the eternity

c/ when the Holy Spirit dwells in man, the man oversteps the limits of his temporal worldly existence: from the mortal he becomes immortal, from the temporal becomes eternal; he receives the dignity of prophet and apostle and, through Lord God Jesus Christ, he becomes a child of God [St. Gregory Palamas (1974) 121–122; St. Maximus the Confessor, St. Gregory of Nyssa, and St. Basil the Great, ref. in: St. Gregory Palamas (1974) 122].

Consequently, the one could infer that for the Christian,

1/ the meaning of a human being unfolds as the dwelling–temple of God the Spirit within the created by God Universe {in: John 1:1–18; 4:23–24; 14:17, 23, 26;17;1 Corinthians 6:19–20}

2/ the mission of a human being is to receive the Spirit of God during the earthly existence, to abide in love and light, to fulfill the will of God at the earth, and to be prepared for dwelling with God throughout the eternity {cf.: John;1 Peter;1 John;Ephesians; Colossians;Revelations 21:1–8; 22:1–5, 10–15}

3/ the purpose of existence of a human being is actualization of the will of God {cf.: John 4:34–38;14; 15; 16; 16;1 John}.

Or, in the contemporary terms, the one could infer that

1 the main purpose of a human being is embodiment of the creative energy received from God into the systems and realities that serve the highest good, and therefore, the evolutionΣ5 of all the living ones and the world in which they live. The mind can accomplish this purpose only if the mind–creator of thoughts/knowledge achieves επιγνωσεωςΣ6 – the state of complete knowledge of God: the state of knowing God and living by the Word–God and by the Holy Spirit {John 14; 15; 16:7–15; 17;2 Peter 1:2–11; Isaiah 11:2}.

In the state of complete knowledge of God, the mind

a/ receives from God knowledgeΣ7, wisdomΣ8, and godliness, and with them, the power to obtain, to hold, and to utilize all that is needed for life at the earth and for preparation for the next phase – the eternity

b/ becomes the partaker of the divine nature

c/ is empowered to actualize evolution [[development and actualization of optimal potency]] of all systems/establishment, which it is empowered to arrange, influence, and control

d/ through faithΣ9, virtueΣ10, knowledge, self–control, godliness, patience, and love to the others, completes preparation for the eternity with God

2 if the mind is unable to perceive–accept–learn–understand the knowledge of the law of God, and therefore, if it is incapable of cognition of God, and therefore, if it is incapacitated/unable to operate according to the nature created by God, for such a mind, there is no way to accomplish the purposes for the sake of which the mind has come to life, firstly, because it has no abilities to secure survival and development [[development might be referred to as an increase of complexityaccomplished through acquisition–creation of knowledge adequate to the actuality]] – own and all that is in its sphere of influence and control

3 within the realm of the mindΣ1 that lives according to its nature and accomplishes the purposes of its existence[[to create the good for the others: to transfer–convey the Divine energy received from God into the world – realm of material things given into its dominion]], the energy transformation–transmission processes, through which the Divine energy maintains existence of men, might be discerned and described at three levels of complexity

1. the human spirit or the energy entity that constitutes the core energy structures, which determine the essence of a human being; this core is maintained or perhaps, constantly re–created by the Divine → universal energy according to the universal pattern that is the image and likeness of God – Λογος/Αγια Σοφια, the Word–God; this is the highest level of complexity, because at this level, a human being is connected with God and receives from Him the Divine energy that

a/ maintains its existence – life

and

b/ is the source of knowledge of life and of wisdom – the power to perceive–understand–hold and to actualize knowledge of life

2. the reason/intellect/mind, or the reality/system, within which the Divine energy becomes the thoughts––knowledge of the material world that empowers the mind to maintain own existence within the material world and to achieve purposes for the sake of which it was created

3. the material structures – body, or the reality of energy–information–matter formations, structures, and systems accommodated within the flow of the universal energy and sustained by the universal force [[the universal force – derivative of the Divine energy/power of God arranges the structures/systems/realities within the wholeness of the infinite multitudes of the energy fields. Each system/set of the energy fields determines creation/birth, existence, and death/transformation of a particular beingΣ11 within the realm composed of the temporarily arranged matter]]

4 the general meaning of complexity [[complexityΣ12 at the level of human thoughts–devices–plans is expressed through the universality/potency of knowledge]] should be understood as the presence of the Divine energy of God that determines

– vitality of a human body

– wisdom–potency–value of the human mind

– a degree of preparedness of a human soul for the eternity with God

5 although not by measure gives God the Spirit {John 3:34}, the potency of the mind, the power of reasoning, wisdom, the degree of perfection–readiness for the purposes of the Creator, perception of the Absolute GoodΣ13, and other features of a human being –– all given to him by God –– depend upon

1/ the Divine energy that he is empowered to perceive–accept

2/ the Divine power that empowers him to accomplish the will of God: to create the good for the others and for the world

3/ the potency of power to use the Divine energy for own existence: to live and to evolve

6 following explanation of St. Paul the Apostle {1 Corinthians 2:12–14; 12:4–31} and paraphrasing the explanation of St. Gregory Palamas that God dwells in His creations “in different and varied ways” interrelated with their “worthiness and way of life,” the one could assert that

–– the power [[the source of which is the Divine power of God]] to create good for the others and for the world, which the one receives because of three unwavering prerequisites a/ love to God, b/ knowledge of God, and 3/ compliance with His law {John 14:16–18, 26}, is the theological meaning of complexity

–– the philosophical meaning of complexity is an ability–potency to create optimal systems for achievement of purposes of development–evolution of mankind, starting with arrangement of the human societies and other establishments, with which people attempt to sustain own life, to protect the environment from pollution and contamination, to secure survival, and to achieve prosperous peaceful and abundant life

–– the practical meaning of complexity might be co–related with the power/potency to accept/learn–accumulate–create–utilize–disseminate the adequate knowledge at all level of all activities [[e.g., social, political, daily life of a human beings within their establishments – families, societies, political and other institutions/systems]], starting with the abilities to create and to maintain the optimal cohesive power that would sustain wholeness of human establishments and therefore, make possible survival and development–evolution

7 the only difference among human beings might be the degree of advancement toward the complete perfection as the degree of development of the ability to perceive–know the Holy Spirit, to become the living temple–dwelling of God, and to accommodate–carry the Holy Spirit that comes because of Lord Jesus Christ – the Word–God to those who have learned to trust Him, to love Him, and to live by His words {John 14:6–26; 15; 17}.

This difference[[or, in the words of St. Paul the Apostle, different gifts of the Holy Spirit, and in St. Gregory Palamas’ words, dwelling of God in His creations “in different and varied ways” interrelated with their “worthiness and way of life”]] is not opened for identification, evaluation, and judgment by men: only God knows the mind of His creations, only He evaluates the true potency and closeness to perfection – “worthiness” of them, and only He decides, which gifts He desires to bestow on them. The definition of the ultimate judgmentΣ14 that the Christian mind is allowed to accomplish is given by God:

love your enemies

↓

imitate perfection of the Heavenly Father Who gives possibilities to live[[sun and rain]]

to the good and just and to the evil and unjust

{Matthew 5:43–48}

↓

be merciful as the Most High, God the Father, is merciful

{Luke 6:35–36}

8 for the Christian,

–– the highest law is the law of love

–– the ultimate justice is mercy

–– the only appropriate [[free from sin]] judgment is discernmentΣ15of the good and the evil, so the one could identify his current and potential enemies, to avoid them, and to guard own mind and life from their evil and their negative influenceΣ16

–– the only appropriate [[free from sin]]actions are

rejection of the evil, because it results in the sinful –

vindictive, erroneous, insufficient, and therefore, inappropriate and not allowed –

way of thinking, doing, living

↓

avoidance of contacts and prevention of any association with the obstinate sinners, apostates, and evil ones,

who might adversely influence the way of thinking and the very life of the others

9 the keys to decision of the problems of mankind and elevation of the world from the current state of progressing self–annihilation into the state of observance of the law of God followed with knowledge of God and decent life {Deuteronomy 28; 29; 30;Matthew 5:17–20; 22:36–40;Mark 12:28–34;Luke 10:27} are in

a/ knowledge of God

b/ observance of the law of God

c/ life in compliance with the law of God, firstly, with the two greatest commandments {love to God and love to creations of God – Matthew 22:36–40;Mark 12:28–34;Luke 10:27–37}.

Life in compliance with the law of God makes the mind wise and therefore, benefit all – the entire world, because the multitude of the wise ones is security/welfareΣ17 of the world {Wisdom 6:24}.

The road to wisdom begins with fear of God – the fear to violate His law and therefore, to cast himself out from the world of the living ones.

Creation of the multitude of the wise ones begins with one mind, with one person who chooses life and desires to obtain knowledge and wisdom: wisdom is in the reach of everyone who turns to God to find forgiveness, healing, salvation, deliverance from enemies, peace, happiness, and life everlasting.

In summary

The human mind has the divine nature, because it is created by God in His image and likeness, lives by the Breath – Spirit – of God, and works–creates by the power received from God:

the mind lives by the Divine energy of God

↓

the mind is empowered to create the good – that is to accomplish the will of God

[[the purpose, for the sake of which it has been created]],

only with knowledge and by wisdom–power given by the Word–God and through the Holy Spirit

↓

the essence of knowledge, which is the life of mind

[[the true knowledge that the mind perceives, accumulates, creates, disseminates as truth derived of the knowledge of the Word–God]],

is also the derivative of the Divine energy–power – the giftand the blessing of God

Who sends the Holy Spirit to make alive, to instruct, guide, teach, and to lead His people

Only because of the grace –– love and mercy of God, and for the one’s love to God proven with his righteousness–compliance with the law of God, the one may receive from God the precious gifts of the Holy Spirit –– the power of life, wisdom and understanding that define the potency of his mind:

the power of reasoning

↓ ↑

abilities to accept and hold wisdom and to live by it

↓

the authority to convey the power received from God into the world

that the one can cherish, cultivate, and lead toward development–evolution

Would the good have a measure, this measure would correspond with

the Divine creative energy that a human being transforms into own thoughts

↓

wisdom to embody true knowledge into the material systems/establishments, so, these systems/establishments would become possession of the world so, they would facilitate evolution of mankind by increasing well–being/goodness of the world and prosperity of men.

Consequently, the commandments of Lord Jesus Christ, the Word–God, to imitate perfection and mercy of God the Father, and His love may be accomplished only by the one whose mind has been purified by the teachings of Christ and sanctified, empowered, guided and perfected by the Word–God Who is the Truth and by the Holy Spirit Who is the Giver of life and wisdom {John 6:63, 68–69; 14:6–23; 15; 16; 17}.

As the fire melts gold, purifies it from admixture and prepares it for the works of the Creator {Malachi 3:1–3}, likewise, the Divine Fire cast by the Word–God upon the earth {Luke 12:49;John 14; 15:26; 16:7–15; 17; 19;1 Corinthians 3:11–15;Hebrew 12:29;Deuteronomy 4:24} sanctifies the mind by Truth and purifies it from the imperfect/sinful way of reasoning, through which the mind might err in its discernment and might fail to identify the evil behind the façade of righteousness and the lies behind the appearance of the truth.

Hence, only power and grace of God {Psalm 90(91);John 1:18; 3:16–21; 6:44–47, 63;14:6–26; 17; 2 Peter 1:2; Hebrew 12:28–29} sustains health–sanity of the mind making it perfect and therefore, invincibleΣ18. Such mind cannot be touched by the evil –

the evil that because of errors of the mind

{Wisdom 1:12–16}

↓ ↑

might be materialized into the material values, hierarchies, biased/unrighteous judgment,

with which the thoughts/devices of the mind arrange and destroy

the creations of men along with the world given into men’s dominion and with the mind itself

The practical inferences [[at the levels of philosophy → systems theory → systems logicΣ19]] from the texts of the Holy Scriptures and the concept of the divine energies of St. Gregory Palamas sustain the systems concept of the mindΣ20.

I think that the most significant inference from the systems concept of the mind would be the understanding that

1/ in accordance with the law of irreversibility of cognition and the law of adequate complexityΣ21, which define the nature of every level of knowledge, including knowledge cognized by the human mind and knowledge encoded in human DNA,

a/ once learned knowledge does not perish, it advances until the system–holder of this knowledge reaches the full potential of either good/evolution or evil/degeneration. It means that accumulation of the knowledge of good leads to the perfection; the knowledge of evil with each new generation inflicts more damage and consumes more lives and resources until it becomes the inescapable reality that imprisons the minds incapable of learning the knowledge of the good. If released/accomplished at least once, a pattern of evil (new crime, or especially inhumane deed) is spread through media, entertainment, books, works of art and through them, makes its way into the mind. Gradually, it is accepted by many and many; eventually, it finds the way – is assimilated – into the acceptable or even mandatory practices of social, political, and religious establishments. The time of assimilation depends on the degree of disintegration: the higher degree of disintegration the sooner the new pattern of evil becomes, for instance, the mandatory policy of the establishment

b/ if the mind accepts–accumulates–utilizes knowledge with lower–inadequate level of complexity [[e.g., worship of idols–figments of human imagination instead of worship of God, acceptance of the Orphic doctrineΣ22 of equality and similarity among humans, animals, and all living beings, because all of them are materializations of the forms created by and carried within the “absolute animal,” the arch–serpent: the arch–evil]], it initiates the processes of self–annihilation and destruction of its creations

c/ although some people have assumed that the Holy Scriptures describe the events of the remote Past and successfully created the singularity of death – the current godless world, in which they accomplish self–destruction and annihilation of own creations, on the contrary, in spite of the opinion of the many, the one could infer that the state of the world–wide and each nation’s affairs confirms the actuality of each prophecy concerning Moses’ curses/means of extermination of the heathens, apostates, and those who for any reason reject God and violate His law {Deuteronomy 28:14–68}.

Then, the one should unconditionally accept as the truth that the Bible conveys the commandments and words of Living Almighty God, Who has no change, and Whose Law sustains and controls life of all His creations.

It means that the same patterns of fulfillment and of violation of the Law of God are constantly repeated: they define the destiny of each person, establishment, state, nation, empire, civilization, and all other creations of men in the Present, and they will define the Future in same fashion as they have defined the Past. Until the heaven and the Earth pass away, neither iota nor a point from the Law would pass away until all is accomplished {Psalm 101(102):26–28; Matthew 5:18–20;Luke 16:17}.

Until the end of times, the patterns of collapse → destruction → annihilation triggered by violation of the law of God will remain, foretell, and describe the destiny of those who violated the law of God and the collapse → disintegration → ruin of their establishments/systems.

How then, those who have rejected God, who do not know the only One True God, and who believe that there is no God, live? They speak, act, procreate, and even create – write books, make discoveries, build cities, invent technical gadgets; they make charitable contributions, perform public service, wage wars, fly into Space, and do many other things that comprise the meaning of social, business, and political life of the contemporary societies. Apparently, they are alive; seemingly they do whatever they want. What then, is the substance and essence of their life, how the mind separated from God lives, what makes the difference between two men: the one who lives by God and the one who lives without God, if seemingly, both of them have their share of happiness, grief, suffering, diseases, and both of them have the same end – eventually, they die. So, what is the actual difference between them?

Those who live not by God – do not have place for the Word–God within them {John 8:34–47} – live by something else, not by the Divine energy of God. The hint to understanding is in the texts of the Holy Scriptures, in which God refers to them as to those who hear, yet, do not understand, see by eyes, yet do not perceive: their heart became gross, and they are not able to understand and to turn to God and to be healed {Isaiah 6:9–10;John 12:39–50}. In Psalms {Psalm 113(114):4–8;134(135):15–18}, the idol–worshipers are equated to their dead deities: they would become as the dead stones/wood, from which their idols are made; they have years, yet do not hear, eyes, yet they do not see.

God is the Spirit Who seeks the ones worshiping Him in Spirit and Truth {John 4:23–24}. Therefore, the actual life of man created in image of God and likeness is at the level of spirit–heart–mind {a man of the hidden heart, the inner/spiritual man that carries the likeness of God from the Heavens – Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God– James 1:18–25;1 Peter 3:4;1 John 3:1–2;1 Corinthians 15:45–58; 2 Corinthians 4:16}. Then, the material world and all its components are perceived and evaluated by their correlation with and significance for the purposes of evolution–preparation for the next phase of existence – the everlasting life in the presence of God.

Consequently, the substance and meaning of life of those who do not live by God are different: they live by the images and figments of own imagination: reflections of the temporary arranged matter – material things. However, the heart–mind is not the source of the energy of life: it lives by the Divine energy coming from God. Thus, the heart–mind of the one who has no place for God within becomes the withered – dead one, as the fruitless withered branch cut of the Vine {John15:1–6}: the end of the mind focused on the world of the material things differs from the end of the mind focused on God

–– the mind focused on God comes to God

–– the mind focused on the dissipating world of the material things perishes in the eternal darkness of separation from God.

The knowledge by which the mind lives defines the final destiny of man:

the everlasting life is given through knowledge of God

the eternal death is knowledge that is not of God

By the very knowledge the mind lives, it determines own end at the earth:

either the passage into the everlasting life

or the collapse of reason that culminates in death of the reason

The processes, which culminate in annihilation, begin with collapse of reasoning [[the mind]] and proceed through failure of all protective and defensive systems and subsystems; for instance,

1) at the level of human body, death is initiated with failure of the immune system

2) at the level of social life, failure of reasoning makes possible rejection of virtue, righteousness and justice. Such rejection is followed with corruption and perversion, which gradually, because of ignorance of the many and therefore, easily spread political correctness, are elevated at the rank of norms and laws

3) at the level of the state, corruption and degeneration of the mind followed with collapse of reasoning are initiated and nurtured with political correctnessΣ23 or propagandaΣ24

4) at the level of civilizationΣ25 – failure to actualize the patterns of knowledge creation consistent with the path of evolution of mankind, which should lead the people to comprehension of Truth and culminate in achievement of the purposes for the sake of which God has created human beings. The roots of the failure are

rejection of Christian teachings

↓

acceptance of the heathenismΣ26

2/ until the mind lives and operates according to its nature – in compliance with the lawΣ27 of God, it has abilities to sustain normal processes of energy–information acceptance–assimilation–transfer within

a body as a whole

↓ ↑

body’s subsystems/internal organs and their components

↓ ↑

cells and their components

In other terms, the mind is capable of sustaining the flow of energy within the entire wholeness that is a human being.

The mind that undergoes the processes of degeneration, become unable to sustain normal processes of energy–information acceptance–assimilation–transfer within the body and each of its subsystems and their components. The deprived of the life–sustaining energy–information subsystems and their components degenerate–descend at the level of reduced energy consumption, then, collapse of degenerated subsystem begins with inability to hold remaining energy. With release of the energy, physical disintegration–death is initiated

3/ until the mind lives and operates according to its nature – in compliance with the law of God, it has knowledge → abilities–potency → wisdom to arrange efficient and effective systems/establishment that it needs for physical survival, maintenance of optimal conditions of life and evolution.

The mind that has rejected knowledge of God the Creator and His laws

accepts the false knowledgeΣ28 created within the heathen or second knowledge frameworkΣ29

↓

begins to operates in the regime of insufficiencyΣ30,

which would result in degeneration and failure of the core structures of the mind

responsible for maintenance of the natural processes of acceptance–consuming of the Divine energy

and its transformation into the thoughts → knowledge necessary for survival and development–evolution

↓

loses abilities–potency–power to create the adequate knowledge

and to make the decisions that would secure prosperity and survival of the establishments–systems:

initiates collapse and destruction of the establishments created to sustain survival

↓

perishes along with its creations: family, society, state, civilization, others

4/the keys to health–life and disease–death of a human being are in his mind; these keys are

to life: knowledge of God and His law followed with

acceptance of the Absolute Good of God and actualization of it as the absolute good of man

and

to death: rejection of knowledge of God and the law of God followed with

↓

1/ ignorance and violations of the law of God

↓

2/ acceptance of the heathen or second knowledge framework

↓

3/acceptance of false knowledge as truth

↓

4/ inabilities to perceive–accept–live by the Absolute Good

↓

5/ acceptance of the evil as the source of life, foundation of thinking, and justification of the ways of life

The Absolute Good of God and issuing righteousness, sanity of the mind and health of a body, knowledge of truth, by which the law–abiding mind lives, are conveyed through thoughts/devices of the mind.

The evil that brings forth unrighteousness–sinfulness–leprosy of mind and collapse of reasoning and ruin of human establishments enters the world of men through the mind.

The mind embodies its treasureΣ31 – either the good or the evil into arrangement of human establishments [[e.g., states, empires, religious, political, research, educational, and social institutions]], and other material things.

Hence, a human being’s own mind and his own thoughts → words → deeds hold own life/blessings and death/curses; one of them, which it chooses, determines its destiny

After rejection of the words of God, attempt to hide from God, and subsequent expulsion of men from the Garden of Delight followed with impossibility to perceive God and to live {Genesis 3;Exodus 33:20}, the human mind occupies the place at the boundary between the eternal spiritual realm – the kingdom of heaven and the temporal realm of the temporary structured matter. In the terms of systems logic, the mind operates as the frontier systemΣ20.

Many generations of philosophers and researches sought understanding of the nature of the mind.

Plato and his followers considered the mind as the mixture of the elements of the eternal and temporal world unified into the wholeness. However, the eternal cannot be “mixed” with the temporal: their natures and levels of complexity–knowledge are different, thus, the Plato’s assumption is irrational.

The correct identification of the Old Testament’s mind and its connection with the earth is given in

The Greek word εκκολληθηhas the root –κολ– that carries the meaning to be glued, attached, bounded with another matter or structure. Meanings of εδαφει include ground, dust, earth, soil; all of them are connected with the matter–source of origin of a human body; the range of meanings of φυλακης includes prison, confinement, strict surveillance.

The referred texts convey the sense of despair: a human soul/mind has fallen low – literally or metaphorically, at the very ground cursed for the sin of man {the earth became επικαταρατος – “cursed”/weakened/downgraded because of man’s fault and in all man’s labors – Genesis 3:17–20}. It is clung to the weakened–downgraded–simplified ground and deprived of original freedom of life, which it still remembers; otherwise, it would not have ability to identify the present condition.

Nevertheless, in such imprisonment, the mind relies on God to be delivered and beseeches the Lord to give life (ζησον – give life, make alive) according to His intention, plan, or word – Λογον {James 1:17–18;1 Peter 1:17–25;Ephesians 1; 2}; it implores God to grant it exodus from its misery.

Therefore, a human being might be seen as the temporal arrangement within the temporal realm, in which, by the will/law of God, the immortal being created (derived of) the Divine energy of creation is linked–glued–bounded to the derivatives of the same Divine energy {Genesis 1; 2; 3} arranged at the lower levels of complexity and confined within the space, in which disintegration and re–arrangement of the derivatives with the lowest levels of complexity [[temporarily structured matter arranged to accomplish some purposes and to disintegrate]] is the condition of existence.

Such temporal connection does not change the original nature of the human essence/mind, which was created in image of God and likeness:

the immortality of man is not taken away

[[Adam still could take of the tree of life and eat and live forever]],

because God created man to be immortal: He made him to be His Own likeness

{Genesis 2:7;3:23–25;Wisdom 2:23}

↓

man is just temporarily confined under the strict surveillance of the law to learn the Absolute Good of the will of God

within the space where his abilities and power are restricted,

so the knowledge of the evil, which he desired to learn, and his evil deeds would not exist with him in the eternity,

which he may be empowered to enter,

if he is set free by the Word–God and re–created into a child of God, a new being, a child of the Light,

that is the likeness of the Word–God – a being born of Spirit of God,

empowered to carry the Holy Spirit and to live in the new world, where the tree of life brings forth fruits for all nations

In the end of earthly life full of cognized evil and its attributes –– misery, suffering, humiliation, unfulfilled promises, betrayals, loneliness, etc., that are the components of harsh education needed to facilitate transformation of a human–beast into the human–child of God, the meaning of deliverance is to be discovered. When nothing is left, when everything is known or fulfilled, when nothing more is able to ignite wish to go further, to claim higher or to live longer, when the time of harvest comes {Job 5:26}, how desirable the final liberation is: release me from the dust, to which I has clung, and give me life according to Thy Word…

The contemporary mind that received the precious gift of Christianity, that knows Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ – the Word–God, might comprehend the referred above Old Testament’s texts {Psalm 118(119):25; 141(142):7} as a desperate prayer for the Word as for liberation from the connection with the lowest world of evil: the ground–dust is the end of all flesh intended for cognition of evil {Genesis 3:19; 6:3} and the entire world dwells in evil{John 7:7; 14:17, 30;15:18–23;1 John 5:19–20}.

Thus, as it was determined by God before the foundation of the world {1 Peter 1:13–25; Ephesians1:3–14}, a human being –– purified, re–created, and illuminated by the Word–God –– has come to God the Creator: through the Word–God, in the Word–God, by the Word–God {John 1; 3; 6:32–69; 10:1–30;14; 15; 16:13–16; 17; also in: Matthew 18:12–14; Ephesians 1; 2; 4:17–24; Galatians 1:3–5; 3:23–29; 1 Thessalonians 5:4–10; Colossians; Hebrews 12:20–21}.

The Psalm 118(119) also explains the difference between the knowledge of dust and the knowledge of life; the author of Psalm tells God: I perceived the end of all accomplishments, but the way of Thy commandment surpasses all {Psalm 118(119):96}.

So, if it is possible to see own end, to evaluate the actual results of all thoughts and deeds – accomplishments, and to reach even the outer limits of all opened to the mind that is clung to the dust, – would all the knowledge acquired during the entire earthly life have any worth,

–– if this knowledge is not the knowledge of God – the actualized/embodied into own life knowledge of the Absolute GoodΣ13

–– if this life is not deliberate fulfillment of the will of God also known as the lawΣ27?

The divine nature of the human mind sustains the unlimited abilities and possibilities of creation of the good.

The mind that has chosen the way of the evil one has no limits of failures, degeneration, destructive and self–destructive power.

The human mind has only choice between two ways and two destines:

either become the carrier of the Light, the child of God, the temple of the Holy Spirit,

and obtain the everlasting life in the kingdom of God

or become the carrier of the evil, the slave of the arch–evil that was the murderer of man from the beginning,

and perish in darkness of the eternal death

In both ways, the mind has no limits:

neither limits of perfection and power of wisdom

nor limits of potency to commit the evil

Perhaps, the unlimited potency to commit evil within the world given into its dominion explains, why once initiated, the process of self–annihilation might be irreversibleΣ21. Perhaps, such irreversibility also serves protection of the world, which the mind–destroyer shares with the others…

≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈

Notes:

Σ1 See Chart 1. The Mind – in The Mind and Systems Concept of Mind – Supplement 3 to The Mind

Σ2Redemption as the act of salvation of the world, liberation from the power of the arch–evil – undoing the disobedience and distrust of man: the original sin {Genesis 3}, and as the planting of the seed of the eternal life, was done at the cross, when the crucified Son of Man

–– fulfilled the Divine Law and accomplished the Divine Justice

by taking on Himself the sins of man

–– shed His Blood instead of the blood of man

–– placed His Soul for the soul of man

re–creating him and preparing him for resurrection into the eternity

At the moment of death, of the Son of Man, by the Son of God – the Word–God – the Almighty Omnipotent Love of God was consummated, the Word–God became the firmament, foundation, essence {στερεωμα – Genesis 1:6–8;Psalm 17(18):1–2} of human soul–heart–mind, and a new creation, who is granted the authority to become a child of God born of God, came into being {Mark 10:45; Luke 12:49;John 1:12–13; 4:23–24;6:33–58;7:37–39; 11:25–26; 12:23–28;14; 15; 16; 17;19:28–30, 33–37;James 1:18;1 Peter;1 John3:5; 4:9–19; 5:1–8;Ephesians 2:1–10, 13–22;Revelation 22:1;Isaiah 51:4–7; 53:3–12}.

The one might envision the essence of redemption as the following:

The Word–God by becoming a Son of man takes on Himself the nature of man

↓

the essence of sinful man is melted by the Divine Fire of the Omnipotent Perfect and All–forgiving Love of God

↓

the evil–insufficiency–ability to sin as the lot of man within the temporal world of man is annihilated,

and after physical death–disintegration of the bond with the “cursed” matter,

a man may be resurrected into the eternity with God

↓

a new–born creation of God – a Christian, a child of God created in likeness of the Word–God, comes to life:

the firstfruit of new creations made in likeness of the Word–God

Who placed His soul for His followers, the children of God Who is the Spirit and the Fire,

so they would live by the Holy Spirit and in the presence of God forever

This future of man was foreseen by the Old Testament Prophets and became the actuality of human existence after Lord Jesus Christ – the Word–God, the Son of God and the Son of man, committed His Soul for the salvation of man {Isaiah 59:12–21;Daniel 12:10;Malachi 3:1–3;John 10:11;15:13;19:28–30; 1 John 5:1–5}.

Since, a true Christian – true follower of Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Word–God, loves Him as his own soul and fulfill His commandments as his own will.

Σ3 When the Prophets act on behalf of God, they have the complete control over the forces, which maintain existence of the material world.

Analyzing the texts of the Holy Scriptures, the one might infer that, in the current terms, the prophets operated with the complete power over the matter and elements of the world (parted the water, purified the poisonous water and destroyed the poison, multiplied oil and the food, revived the dead, healed or sent leprosy, and punished the evil ones). For such works, the Prophets have been empowered

1/ to change nuclear structures of the existing matter transforming it into another substance: destruction of the poison, purification of the water spring

2/ to create the structured matter directly from the universal energy: multiplication of food and oil

3/ to control functions of a human body – to reverse disintegration: healing of the sick ones, and to initiate disintegration: sending disease (leprosy) on the corrupted and sinful ones

4/ to restore the set of the energy fields, which accommodates existence of a living human being at the specified time–space point of the Universe: reanimation of the dead

5/ to manipulate the forces of the Nature: to bring down rain and fire from the skies

6/ to manipulate the energy fields, which control the force of gravity: water was parted to let the Prophet cross the river

7/ to ascend to the level where the time–space–complexity limitations do not exist: the abilities to see the Future, to know intentions of the people, and to know that what they have done or said.

Perhaps, the technical side of the abilities of the prophets might be at least partially understood with the systems concept of the Universe.

For example, the healing power of the prophet is the consequence of the ability to control transformations of the universal energy. Every living being exists within the focus of the energy fields. These fields accommodate the purposeful wholeness of specific cycles of energy transformations. The results of these transformations are the energy formations, energy–information, and energy–information matter, which compose a particular system and maintain its existence in a form of a purposeful and evolving being. If the transformations of energy are consistent with the universal law, the system/being functions properly and achieves the state of optimum – develops and realizes own maximal potency. If the transformations of energy deviate from the universal pattern, they produce the energy forms with insufficient complexity, and the consequent intra–system processes become distorted or insufficient: the system becomes unable to scan and to embody/materialize the universal code adequately. The insufficiency has the domino effect, which results in subsequent distortion of other processes and culminates in the perversion of the system’s nature. The perversion of the nature triggers alteration in the parameters controlled by the energy fields. Change of the controlled parameters triggers the unspecified response of the energy fields, which activates the system’s self–annihilation. In the apparent stage of self–annihilation, a human being might experience lethal physical illness (e.g., leprosy so many times mentioned in the Holy Scriptures) or serious mental disorders (e.g., “possession with unclean spirits” and spirit of divination, insanity, hallucinations, etc.). The correction of the distorted intra–system processes or healing of diseases is possible through the correction the intra–system processes, which results in subsequent adjustments of the parameters controlled by the energy fields. Thus, when the prophet heals the sick, he works as the transceiver–transmitter of a specific form of the universal energy with the highest levels of complexity sufficient for restoration of the normal energy regime of a sick being/insufficient system. At the level of the matter, restoration of the normal energy regime might be detected as restoration of the normal behavior, correction of DNA, dissolution of tumor, unexpected recovery of patients with incurable diseases, etc.

However, the power over the energy of the material world is not the main feature of the prophet. The transcendent abilities and control over the forces of the nature are the auxiliary features: they accompany transformation of the prophet into the extraordinary being –– in fact, into just normal being who lives in accordance with the original nature created by God in His image and likeness –– whose life is focused on God.

See

Hebrew Prophets, and The Greatness of Man– excerpts in Note 5 to The Mind

Creation of Man: Process– inThe Works of God

The Fire for a Child – in Note 25 to The Mind

Σ4Concerning essence of a human being

During the earthly phase of existence, a human being is a temporal life–carrying unity of spirit–flesh, or soul–heart–mind–body, or energy–matter, accommodated within the realm composed of the units of the structured matter, which are the energy derivatives created/arranged at different levels of complexity.

The essence of man – the innerman, of whom St. Peter the Apostle and St. Paul the Apostle write:ο κρυπτος της καρδιας ανθρωπος – the hidden heart of man {in: 1 Peter 3:4}, and the inner man who is being renewed –ο εσωθεν ανακαινουται– day by day, while the outer man (body of flesh) is being decayed{in: 2 Corinthians 4:16},is the soul–heart–mind, which carries the image and likeness of God. St. Paul the Apostle refers to such a new [[renewed]] creation of Christ and in Christ as to the one who is enabled to act as the co–worker of God {Θεουγαρεσμενσυνεργοι – 1 Corinthians 3:9}, who is the God’s field and God’s building/construction {Θεουγεωργιον, Θεουοικοδομη – 1 Corinthians 3:9} – the space prepared for the works of God.

The Greek theologians discerned three parts/components [[subsystems]]of the human essence, or it might be said that they assumed that the soul–heart–mind operates at three levels of complexity [[that is with different derivatives of the Divine energy: wisdom, knowledge, information]]: intellect – νους, reason/intelligence –διανοια, and the reasoning, orthe faculty of deliberation – γνωμα–φρονημα–λογισμος.

The highest level or “the depths of soul” or the core of “the heart” is intellect – νους, through which the mind knows God – Λογος – and receives from the Creator the spiritual knowledge – γνωσις – and wisdom – σοφια. Γνωσις and σοφια both are the gifts of God: the spiritual knowledge is silent contemplation of God and the special state. During this state, the mind accesses the divine energy of creation, which sustains the mind’s life, while wisdom empowers the reason and makes possible cognition of God’s creations.

Hence,

1/ the heart is a definition for the spiritual center, the essence of a human being, the singularity in which the union between the divine and the human is consummated, or in which the divine becomes thoughts, words, and deeds of man

2/ cognition is the state in which the divine energy of creation is transformed into the thoughts and knowledge.

It is said that God sees not as the people look: He looks at the inner man – human soul–heart–mind {1 Kings 16:7;Psalm 93(94):11; 138(139):1–18}.

Hence, a human being is the wholeness whose life is manifested at three levels, and two of them are not open for comprehension by the others:

1/ soul/spirit – the receiver of the Divine energy {the breath of life given by God – Genesis 2:7} that sustains a unique form of life: a human being – within the world of other derivatives of the Divine energy, including the creations of the water and the earth {Genesis 1:6–12, 20–25}, for instance, such as

– energy–information that carries the codes of creation – the essence/nature of each of living beings according to its kind that constitute the world given into the dominion of man

2/ heart/mind – the center at which the divine creative energy of God is transformed into the human thoughts, which might be envisioned as the codes of the establishments that man is enabled to create within the world of the matter.

Only God knows soul/spirit–heart/mind of man and determines the worth of man

3/ body/matter – the physical or perceivable arrangement of the material structures, whose abilities to exist/function/move/act are identified as strength: a human body–carrier of human spirit and intelligence/reasoning makes possible manifestations of the divine creative energy of God embodied into the thoughts, words, and deeds of man.

At all these three levels, God is the natural focus of a human being, and love to God is the natural condition of life, which manifests itself through

1/ physical existence resulting in development of the optimal potency to create the good [[through arrangements of the systems/structures of the material establishments and manipulation with the material things]]and to alleviate insufficiency and suffering of the others.

The meaning of optimum for a particular human being[[referred above as optimal potency]]is determined by the past {the deeds of the ancestors – Exodus 20:5–6; 34:6–7; John 9:1–41} and the present [[own thoughts, words, and deeds]]. The degree of development of the optimum and its final parameters could be determined through the abilities, the achieved purposes, conditions and circumstances of existence: the parameters of time–space–complexity points at which a human being has to live –– to consume his time–range, to exercise his free will, to interact with the others, to use the resources allotted for his earthly existence, and so on. At this level, the faith of man manifests itself through his words and deeds {Matthew 7:1–27; 12:35–37; 25:31–46; John 14:12–15;James 1:21–25; 2:14–26;1 Peter; 2 Peter;1 John 3:16–18}

2/ understanding/reasoning that should result in abilities to discern the good and the evil and to choose the good, which would facilitate finding the road to God, into the everlasting life

3/ spiritual life or life of the human spirit devoted to God, which St. Peter the Apostle defines as a man of the hidden heart (the inner man) – the incorruptible quiet and meek spirit that is of great value before God, whom St. James the Apostle envisions as the firstfruit of creations of God born by the Word of Truth, and of whom St. John the Apostle and St. Paul the Apostle write as of spiritual man that carries the likeness of God from the Heavens – Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God {John 1:1–18;3:13;James 1:18–25;1 Peter 3:4;1 John 3:1–2;1 Corinthians 15:45–58}.

When the theological subtleties are not a subject of consideration, I use a brief contemporary and all–including (because a human being is the wholeness) definition – the mind.

See

The Mind, and Creation of Man: Process in The Works of God

Σ5See Note 81 to The Mind

Σ6Complete knowledge –– επιγνωσεως in: 2 Peter 1:3 –– is the state of complete–abundant–carrying consequences cognition. The one could comprehend the meaning of complete knowledge by reading the Second Epistle of St. Peter the Apostle {2 Peter; also mentioned by St. Paul the Apostle in: Colossians 1:10}.

Complete knowledge might be explained as the state ofcomplete–abundant–carrying consequences cognition: the state of having been empowered to think, to speak, and to work according to the will of God that is with the knowledge of the Absolute Truth Who is the Word–God, Lord Jesus Christ the Redeemer and the Savior {2 Peter 1:2–11; conf. in: John; esp. in: John 14; 15; 16;17}.

Thus, the essence of επιγνωσεως – complete knowledge of God, is manifestation of the Divine Power bestowing upon the one all of life and godliness {2 Peter 1:3–4; Colossians 1:10–23}.

Επιγνωσεως reveals itself [[or might be identified]] as possession of the mental power to achieve the purposes, for the sake of which the one has been born:

to survive, that is to preserve life of reasoning–intelligence–mind

by protecting it from the false knowledge, deceit, and enslaving with false religions

↓

to come to the complete knowledge of the Absolute Good

↓

to evolve for the next phase of existence in the eternity with God

See God the Lord of Knowledge – the Portion of the Living Ones, The Complete Knowledge, and other Postsin Selections_&_Reprints. Part 3

Σ7Knowledge is the power to think, to speak, to act. Only if the mind comprehends the law that defines and controls the nature (the nature of man, the nature of the world that accommodates existence of man, and the nature of events and things that might be a subject of interest), the mind obtains the actual power to act and to achieve its purposes. Human knowledge is adequate – true reflection of the complete reality of human existence and comprehension of the laws that sustain and control the world of men, if it gives the actual power to act purposefully, efficiently, and successfully. A human being obtains everlasting life only if he has true knowledge of God {John 17:3}. The source of the knowledge of Truth is the Word–God; the power to comprehend and create adequate (true) knowledge, and embody it into own words and actions – wisdom – is given by the Holy Spirit Who illuminates, teaches, and guides the mind to the Truth: to the everlasting life {John 14:6, 26; 16:13–15;17;Job 33:4}.

See The Essence in Selections_&_Reprints. Part 1., and Posts in Selections_&_Reprints. Part 3

Σ8Wisdom is the power of reason/intelligence, with which a human being survives and evolves into the child of God. This power is given by the Holy Spirit Who comes because of the Word–God, the Holy Wisdom of God – Λογος/ΑγιαΣοφια– to the one who has faith in Lord Jesus Christ, the Word–God, who loves God, who accepted the knowledge of God, and who proved his love to God with observance of His commandments and with the deeds of good {John 14:14–26; 15:10–17; 17; 1 John 3; 4}.

In 1 Corinthians 2:6–16, St. Paul the Apostle writes of the Holy Wisdom given by the Holy Spirit, of the power of God, which is the foundation of faith, and of intelligence, reason, mind of those who just/exactly follow the reasoning of Christ {δε νουν Χριστου εχομεν –1 Corinthians 2:15–16}.

Wisdom of a human being is the state of empowerment, when a human being, who has been receiving the Divine Energy and knowing the Law of God, becomes the co–worker of God and creator of works that actualize the will of God within the world given into the dominion of man {John 14;15; 16; 17;1 Corinthians 3:9}.

See Note 55 to The Mind

Σ9St. Paul the Apostle defines faith as the substance of all expectations and the evidence of the unseen {Hebrews 11:1}; those who have faith see the unseen and eternal {2 Corinthians 4:13–18}.

Through faith, the mind learns love and knowledge of God – the knowledge that is the eternal life {John 17:3}.

According to the Christian teachings, faith is life: the life–bearing knowledge of God and the unity of the acquired knowledge with the manner of life; the just one lives by faith {Habakkuk 2:4; Luke 7:50; 1 Peter 1:9; James 2:14–26}.

In other words, faith is the state of cognizance/knowing God, love to God, living by God, and unity with God.Faith gives comprehension of the essence of all events that compose life of the soul–heart–mind. The Holy Scriptures provide the simple and detail instructions for all who have faith in God. It might be also said that faith defines process of human evolution, because faith allows obtaining completeness of knowledge of the Word–God and prepares for the eternity with God {in: John 6:27–29, 44–48; 8:31–32,34–36; 14; 15; 16; 17; 2 Peter 1:1–11}.

See Concept of Faith – Supplement 2 to The Mind

Σ10Virtue is the way of life according to the nature of man created in image and after likeness of God. For the Christians, the Word–God is the source of the virtues, and the earthly life of Lord Jesus Christ is the complete manifestation of all human virtues: the full knowledge of the Word–God, acknowledgement of His excellence, and observance of His commandments originate virtues of man {2 Peter 1:1–11; 1 John 3:2–12; 5:1–3}.

See The Virtue and Survival –in Note 83 to The Mind

Σ11 See The Universe and Survival of Man in Chapter 2: The Preliminary Concepts, in my book The Invincible Empire. Excerpt in Note 84 to The Mind

Σ12In general, complexity is the universality of knowledge, which sustains the entirety of processes defining life of the world. Life then, might be seen as the totality of cycles of transformations of the divine/universal energy of creation; for example, development of the mighty tree from the smallest seed {Matthew 13:31–32}.

The ancient philosophers came to the conclusion that the world of living beings should be described in the terms of time–space–complexity–bound singularity: positions within dimensions of time and space and possession of the knowledge of life – complexity stipulate the Past, Present, and Future of any purposeful system.

In a context of evolving systems (for instance, the human mind), complexity might be envisioned as the unity of three co–related and mutually enhancing phenomena, which (the unity) sustains the abilities to will and to accomplish a particular purpose:

a/ the possession of knowledge

b/ the abilities to perceive–absorb/learn–create new knowledge

c/ the power to apply knowledge – to embody it into the structures of the matter needed for achievement of some purposes within the world composed of the structures of the matter.

Concerning complexity and other systems terms and definitions, see Introduction to the Systems Logic

Σ13 See The Absolute and The Excellence – excerptin Note 45 to The Mind

Σ18 Invincibility is impossibility to destroy the system until it accomplishes the purposes for the sake of it has been created.

See Note 87 to The Mind

Σ19 See Introduction to the Systems Logic

Σ20 See Systems Concept of Mind – Supplement 3 to The Mind

Σ21 Concerning the law of irreversibility of cognition and the law of adequate complexity, see Note 89 to The Mind

Σ22 Concerning the Orphism, see Ancient Civilizations: Legacy Overview, and Note 20 to The Mind

Σ23 The following example at the level of the state illustrates the meaning of collapse of reasoning initiated with political correctness.

The meaning of political correctness is substitution of the knowledge created on demand of ruling/dominating group[[that is false knowledge composed with the purpose to manipulate thinking and behavior of the ordinary members of the society – the parts of the system, or Aristotelian social animals, or simply, the herd]]for the knowledge of the actuality[[that is the knowledge of truth starting with knowledge of the Divine nature of mind that lives by the knowledge and law of God]].

In general, political correctness might be seen as a current modification of propaganda established by Adolf Hitler who determined its primary task as manipulation by the masses[[concerning propaganda, see Note 24 further]].

Political correctness as the mode of thinking and standard of behavior of the one who allows deprive himself from freedom of thinking and freedom of expression for the sake of advancement of alien beliefs and alien interests, is propagated, spread, and imposed through

– media, entertainment, “works of art”

– speeches of the corrupted politicians who have sold themselves out to the enemies of the Western civilization

– suppression of freedom of thinking and freedom of expression in schools, educational institutions, commercial enterprises, government, political, and social agencies, research institutions

– introduction and enactment of the laws that establish perversion as the norm

– dissemination of hatred to God and to those who attempt to think and to live freely, according to the normal conscience and with the normal mind naturally devoted to God; such dissemination of hatred to God is carried out by media and through politically correct movies, shows, enactment of social and political norms, rules, regulation, that define the politically correct speech, behavior, and thinking.

The roots of the political correctness are in the heathen past, in the mythical civil theology of the ancient Greeks produced by poets and philosophizing theologians for the mass population (referred by Augustine [in: The City of God…VI.v–viii, xi ]). The contents of the civil theology was the mass of figments of imagination, in which heathen myths concerning will and features of deities intertwined with politics of the states and desires–aspirations–purposes of their rulers, vice and corruption of the ruling elite, and the purposes of political and social stability based upon slavish obedience of the ordinary citizens were molded into the mass standard and rules of social–political–religious behavior of the mass population. Through theater, entertainment, religious rituals, education, social gatherings, and other means of fashioning the mass mentality, civil theology shaped thinking, behavior, and other activities that are the meaning of the daily life. Aristotelian Polis – the utopian system [Aristotle Politics VII; VIII], which was accepted as the zenith of philosophical–political–social thoughts and produced blue prints for all totalitarian regimes – ancient tyrannies, communism, fascism, globalism – is based upon the duty of “legislator” to implant the knowledge of the best things into the mind of citizens, so they would accept the interests of the city/rulers as their very own, behave and thinks according to the patterns–role–models established for them by the political leaders.

In other words, in the terms of ancient politicians, the mind of a citizen must be fashioned into the “writing tablet,” on which any text needed for the current purposes of the ruler can be written, and then, “wiped–out” and prepared for the next set of purposes and for the next set of legislators, rulers, and opinion–makers.

In summary, the ancient heathens had to accept any deities, any rituals of worship, and any laws imposed by the cities–states for the sake of advancement of their political and colonial interests, and consequently, their mind have been molded into the erasable tablets for writing, on which any new slogans–beliefs might be written.

Are the current heathens – those who worship “other gods” or comfort themselves with the lies of their liberation from any religion – different? As the current state of the world affairs illustrates, there is no difference.

By introducing the heathen mentality and by aiming to manipulate by masses, political correctness prepares the people for slavish obedience and therefore, facilitates destruction of the nations, states, all systems – establishments and institutions created to sustain the chosen way of life.

Furthermore, through debilitating and degrading the reasoning, political correctness triggers off failure of the core government structures, starting with substitution of the interests of the political leaders/groups for the national security and interests of the state followed with corruption of the highest levels of political hierarchies, which culminate in

inefficiency → degeneration → collapse of intelligence, military, and other systems of defense

and systems intended to sustain survival and protect the particular way of life that differentiates one nation from all the others

↓

assimilation by the enemies

↓

annihilation of the original state, which was an unique social–religious–political system that embodied beliefs, purposes, customs,

and ways of life of the nation

↓

establishment of the new political–social–religious–state system based on the second framework of knowledge

that sustains inhumanity, corruption, slavery, injustice, and deceit, which form the new state–realm of death allotted to the people

who have rejected the knowledge and law of God, chose curse and death instead of life,

and therefore, are destined for slavery, slaughter, and annihilation

The current purpose of political correctness is advancement of non–Christian degrading mentality of herd, which would prevent social and political unrest and eliminate any obstruction at the way of advancement of alien political–social–religious system. Such advancement is possible because the mind of many is schooled to believe that the Islamic political–religious–social system is compatible with the values on which the Western civilization is built. Such assumption has no foundation, because

1. the essence of Islamic civilization is political absolutism based upon the religion:

unconditional acceptance of the religious authorities and all their uttering

↓

unreserved obedience of all members of the family–society–civilization to the sanctioned by their laws authorities

↓

intolerance to other ways of thinking and living; furthermore, such intolerance accomplished through violence

[[e.g., acts of terrors, especially those committed by suicide bombers]]

is elevated at the rank of the highest virtue that secures the place in their paradise

↓

war as the means of advancement and imposing the Islamic religious–political–social system onto the entire world

↓

admissibility of violence, murder, enslaving, deceit, and intimidation of the people of other faiths and ways of thinking and living

for the sake of either conversion into Islam or suppression followed with extermination

This absolutism defines life at all levels – the mind, a body, family, society, entire civilization.

As the history of Islamic civilization illustrates, there is no foundation for any expectation of co–existence for other civilizations. The temporal peace is possible only during the periods of time while the Islamic countries

penetrate and assimilate the protective, life–sustaining, legislative and government structures and reserves

lull vigilance and pacify the population of the targeted countries with the messages of the “religion of peace,”

in the same time demanding tolerance, protection from any criticism, and unreserved cooperation and assistance

[[in fact, they use the political and social structures that the Western societies have arranged to protect human rights for advancement of their purposes;

the first condition for achievement of their purposes is deprivation of freedom of thinking of those who accepted them into their midst,

which culminates with either assimilation or extermination of the “infidels” – people of other religions and ways of life]]

↓

proselytize

↓

expand supporting and allotted for the military operations networks within the nations targeted for the conquest

↓

covertly recruit and train the militants even within the countries–targets

↓

accumulate wealth and reserves with which they expect to wage their “holy war” with the world that does not accept

–– them – as the superior masters of the universe

–– their religion – as the supreme religion and the only truth

–– their laws – as the supreme laws compatible with the Law of God

–– their way of life – as the life compatible with humanity and human dignity

appropriate for a human being created in image of God and likeness

2. Islam is the religious–political–social system. It means that it is the entirety–wholeness focused on the particular purposes and armed with particular means to achieve them. Those who accept Islam as religion have to unconditionally accept the political and social order, the laws, customs, and all other components of the system–wholeness; otherwise, they are exterminated, as the history of fratricide wars among Islamic sects and mandatory execution of apostates–converts into other religions, especially into Christianity, confirm.

It means also that the Muslims who come into the Western societies do not come to be assimilated[[for instance, to accept the Constitution of the US as the main law]] into the societies, which accept them and assist them in their needs. They come to assimilate, to establish their entire religious–political–social order [[although it may be incompatible with the laws of countries into which they are admitted, for instance, in the US – with the Constitution of the US]], to subdue their hosts and either transform them into own likeness by converting into their religion[[which is the core of their system]] or exterminate them through deceit and gradually increasing oppression: discrimination, enslaving, robbery, massacres, and by other means that are illustrated by the history of Islamic rule and are confirmed by the current war waged by the Islamic State (ISIS) and its affiliates all over the world.

Therefore, those who ponder the idea of peaceful coexistence and uncontrollable admittance of the Islamic migrants into their countries should firstly, answer the inevitable question: do they want to be assimilated into the Islamic religious–political–social system, which for the Westerns means deprivation from all human rights and freedoms that compose the set of values, on which the Western civilization is supposed to stand?

3. only Christianity as the faith in the only One True God Who created a human being into His image and likeness, Whose mercy, perfection, and love His creations must imitate if they want to obtain the everlasting life with Him, is capable to withstand the Islamic religious–political–social system as it has done during centuries of discrimination, oppression, enslaving, systematic massacres of Christians, which have been committed in the Islamic countries.

Hence, currently, political correctness[[for instance, as it is illustrated by the current state of affairs in Belgium, France, the UK, other countries of the European Union, and the US]]

facilitates spread of hatred to God and to His people – to the Jews and to the Christians

↓

facilitates the current advancement of the war for world–wide domination by the Islamic religious–political–social system

that is currently is waged in Europe and is spreading all over the world

↓

makes possible silent acceptance of the current genocide of Christians in the Middle East and Asia

by the governments of the Western countries

↓

sustains cooperation of the Western countries with regimes that

funded ISIS and use it as the spearhead in their war for world–wide domination

See

– The Blessing for the Nation, and Inhumanity and Mercy – in Selections_&_Reprints

– daily news concerning establishment of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and its modus operandi:

–– genocide of the Middle East Christians [[which continues the traditions to exterminate, persecute, and discriminate Christians in the lands under Islamic rule; for instance, such as massacres of the Greek Christians, genocide of approximately 1.5 mln of Armenian Christians in twentieth century, and “ethnic cleansing” of lands under the Turkish rule from the Greek and Assyrian minorities committed by the Ottoman/Turkish Empire [e.g., see articles Armenian Genocide and Ottoman Empire @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/]]and people of other faiths

–– enslaving and sexual abuse of women and children

–– inhumane punishments and executions

–– terrorism and cyber terrorism

–– techniques of propaganda, recruitment, training, and growth, including expansion and rooting in of supporting nets

–– world war initiated and waged for the sake of imposing the Islamic religious–political–social system on the entire mankind, which the Islamic State began with conquest of the Middle East and Northern Africa, continued in Europe, South Asia, Eastern and Central Africa, the Caucasus, and currently is spreading in Canada, the US, South America, Central Asia, and Russia

– daily news concerning terrorism committed through the suicide bombers and other militants waging the world war for imposing Islamic religious–political–social system over the world

Σ24 Adolf Hitler determined the primary tasks of propaganda as manipulation by the masses: re–programming and fashioning of the mass conscience and enforcement of the specific patterns of thinking, acting, and social behavior. He also intended to substitute propaganda for religion, morals, and traditions, elevate ignorance and superstition to the rank of knowledge, evoke fear, hatred, cruelty, envy, and greed, and to focus them on the chosen groups or establishments, which might be a threat to his aspirations or would hinder his way to the absolute world power.

Two historical facts – the destruction of the Russian Empire (1900–1917) and the rise and destruction of Nazi Germany (1930s–1945) – confirm that propaganda is the deadliest weapon of destruction and the most effective weapon of the national/state self–annihilation. This double–sided weapon works especially effectively through the groups that struggle for the power within the unstable or already collapsing societies with economical, social, and political problems.

Propaganda might be successful if three groups of conditions exist:

1/ moral degradation, ignorance, illiteracy, and superstitions/false beliefs that make truth undesirable or non–acceptable, therefore, facilitate re–programming of conscience; these conditions prepare the ground on which propaganda might be planted and used in its full destructive potential

2/ economical, political, social, racial, or religious conflicts, which result in social and political instability and the consequent acceptance of the force of coercion as the only effective means for social, economical, and political conciliation; these conditions divide the society into three groups, which would provide the players for the roles of

– victims

– executioners

– the privileged minority–elite that would devise, organize, and control propaganda and use the results obtained with propaganda

3/ a person, group, or establishment capable to transform the existing state and social structures into the system for achievement of own purposes, which usually include access to the power of coercion, enrichment, self–deification, etc.

See Note 307 to Selections_&_Reprints

Σ25The essence of civilization is the set of patterns according to which the mind creates–learns–absorbs–accumulates–disseminates–conceals–transmit–accepts knowledge.

By giving knowledge of the law, God initiated development of human civilization – the derivative of the mind that lives by knowledge of only One True God and His law and that creates knowledge how to embody–materialize the knowledge of the law of God into thoughts, words, actions, and arrangement of establishments, with which this mind sustains own existence, accomplishes own purposes, and evolves for the eternity with God.

See Concept of Civilization, andThe Nations – excerpt in Note 26 to The Mind

Σ26 The heathenism is actualization of the hatred of the arch–evil to mankind. See Note 20 to The Mind

Σ27 See The Law of God:The Ten Commandments.The Road to God – Supplement 1to The Mind

Σ28 False knowledge is assumption–assertion–thought–opinion–judgment that is not adequate, that do not reflect–describe–make understandable the actuality of human existence. Creation/acceptance of the false or inadequate knowledge indicates degeneration of the mind. Only the perverted reasoning, which has rejected or forgot own Creator, becomes able to accept the false as the truth and then, to create false knowledge for the others. The examples of false knowledge include the heathenism, acceptance of which indicates the stage of irreversible destruction of human establishments [[e.g., civilization, empire, state, society]], Aristotelian logic of simplification, upon which the contemporary ethics–free materialistic sciences operate, propaganda with which the enemies destroy the nation/state/empire.

The ability to accept the false knowledge as truth is the consequence of the “wrath of God” – the state of human soul that has rejected the Light, took the way into the eternal darkness–death, and lost the ability to create the good: in all its endeavors, is limited to creations of miserable hovels of clay built on sand {Matthew 7:21–27; John 3:16–21,36;15:4–6}.

See Note 41 to Selections_&_Reprints

Σ29 For the Christian, there is only one religion of the only One True God and only one true knowledge framework derived from Christian theology. All other systems of religious–philosophical–political–etc. thoughts–beliefs–doctrines belong to the second framework – the heathenism. Concerning the heathenism and the knowledge frameworks, see Notes20 and 91 to The Mind

Σ30 Insufficiency is definition of the evil. See concept of evil in The Logic of Death, repintin Note 28 to Selections_&_Reprints

Σ31 The good treasure of the human heart is the knowledge of God through which the one receives all needed for life at the earth and for the life everlasting {in: John 17:3–8;2 Peter 1:2–11}. The evil treasure and death of the human mind is the false knowledge.

See The Point of Entry – in Selections_&_Reprints. Part 1

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References:

St. Gregory Palamas. "Pismo k Akindiny." A Russian translation of the third letter of St. Gregory Palamas to Akindynos, and Commentary by John Meyendorff. Byzantine Hesychasm: Historical, Theological and Social Problems. Collected Studies by John Meyendorff. London: Variorum Reprints, 1974. 113–126.

St. Gregory Palamas. The Triads (Apology for the Holy Hesychasts). Ed. with Introduction by John Meyendorff. Trans. Nicholas Gendle. With Preface and Notes by Jaroslav Pelican. New York: Paulist Press, 1983.